Thoughts on Life, Love, Politics, Hypocrisy and Coming Out in Mid-Life

Sunday, February 03, 2013

Same Sex Marriage Figures in Immigration Debate

One of the aspects of the debate surrounding immigration reform is the plight of same sex couples legally married in U.S. jurisdictions that allow such marriages and the growing number of foreign nations that similarly allow full same sex marriage. Historically, with few exceptions in heterosexual marriages foreign citizens married to U.S. citizens can easily secure U.S. residency. Because of DOMA, same sex couples do not have the ability to easily secure permanent residency for the lawful spouses and many face the prospect of having to leave America in order to stay together as a couple. An article in the Washington Post looks at the immigration law reforms that would end this deliberate anti-gay discrimination. As one might expect, the hate filled Christofascists seek to defeat provisions that would aid same sex couples since their sole mission in life seems to be making life for gays a living Hell and punishing us for not subscribing to their poisonous form of religion. Here are highlights:

In
his final legislative act as a senator, Secretary of State John F. Kerry sought
to resolve an international dilemma. He filed Senate Bill 48, seeking “permanent resident
status for Genesio Januario Oliveira,” a gay Brazilian national facing
deportation because he does not qualify for a spousal visa.

Now, President Obama is aiming
to grant same-sex couples such as Oliveira and his American husband, Tim Coco,
equal immigration rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The proposal could
allow up to 40,000 foreign nationals in same-sex relationships to
apply for legal residency and, potentially, U.S.
citizenship.

But the measure has inspired fierce pushback from congressional Republicans
and some religious groups, who say it could sink hopes for a comprehensive
agreement aimed at providing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented
immigrants.

The standoff may force Obama to choose between two key interest groups —
Hispanics and gays — that helped power his reelection in the fall. The president
must weigh how forcefully to push the bill, known as the Uniting American
Families Act, while not endangering a long-sought deal to resolve the status of
undocumented immigrants, most of whom are Latino.

Christian groups that have supported the White House’s immigration push have
objected to the measure on the grounds that it would erode traditional marriage.

“The president in his plan said that you should treat same-sex families the
same way we treat heterosexual families,” White House senior adviser Dan
Pfeiffer said Friday on “Political Capital With Al Hunt.” “It’s wrong to
discriminate. It’s a natural extension of the president’s view about same-sex
marriage, the view about providing equal rights, no matter who you love.”

But congressional Republicans immediately condemned the idea and warned that
the measure imperils broader immigration reform. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one
of the senators on the eight-member bipartisan working group on immigration,
said at a Politico breakfast last week that injecting social issues into the
debate over immigration legislation “is the best way to derail it.”

A coalition of religious groups — including Roman Catholics, evangelicals and
Southern Baptists — delivered a letter to the White House last week opposing the
same-sex measure.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of same-sex couples wait in limbo. Although the
Obama administration has been using its prosecutorial discretion to avoid
deporting partners who are illegally in the country, many couples say
uncertainty makes it impossible to plan for the long term. “It’s on our mind every day,” said Coco, who has been married to Oliveira
since 2005 and lives in Haverhill, Mass. “We’re always worried about our
future.”

In the meantime, the Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a
federal law that mandates marriage benefits only for heterosexual couples. Some
gay rights advocates said that if the court strikes down the law, perhaps as
early as June, the question of a same-sex provision in immigration law could be
rendered irrelevant.

Hate, bigotry and discrimination: the three pillars of today's Christianity. No wonder the younger generations are leaving it in droves.

Translate This Page

Contact Me to Order Title Work

LGBT Legal Services

About Me

Out gay attorney in a committed relationship; formerly married and father of three wonderful children; sometime activist and political/news junkie; survived coming out in mid-life and hope to share my experiences and reflections with others.
In the career/professional realm, I am affiliated with Caplan & Associates PC where I practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning (Wills, Trusts, Advanced Medical Directives, Financial Powers of Attorney, Durable Medical Powers of Attorney); business law and commercial transactions; formation of corporations and limited liability companies and legal services to the gay, lesbian and transgender community, including birth certificate amendment.

Disclaimer on Opinions and Content

This Blog contains content that may be innapropriate for readers under the legal age of 18. IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE, PLEASE LEAVE NOW. Thank you

This is an opinion and commentary blog and the opinions and contents of this Blog - including opinions expressed concerning opponents of LGBT equality - are the opinions only of the individual blogger and should not be attributed to any other individuals or to any organization of which the blogger is a past or current member.

Followers

PLU Top Gay Blogs

Michael-in-Norfolk disclaims any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, reliability, operability, or availability of information or material displayed on this site and does not claim credit for any images or articles featured on this site, unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies, and Michael-in-Norfolk does not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the images or articles, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact Michael-in-Norfolk via e-mail and they will be promptly removed. Michael-in-Norfolk contains links to other Internet sites. These links are provided solely as a convenience and are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information or content in such site has been endorsed or approved by this blog.